Suppose I could offer you the secret of obtaining millions of dollars. How excited would you be? How would it change your life?
Every day we find somebody offering some secret to some kind of riches. The sad thing is, there are enough gullible people in our world to keep these scams going on and on forever. Just flash a dollar bill in front of somebody, and you have his or her attention.
On the other hand, what if you had at your disposal $1 million that needed to be spent each day or you would lose it? Every day you had $1 million that had to be spent that day, how would it change your life?
Wouldn’t it be silly to live on $1.99 each day?
That sounds ridiculous and it would be hard to find somebody who would live that way. Yet, Christians do it all the time. They have at their disposal untold wealth and yet they live like paupers.
I am not necessarily speaking of money, because too often money is more of a curse than anything else. But there is wealth at our disposal that we have yet to discover.
When we come to the parables of Jesus in the gospel of Luke, we will discover the kind of life Jesus put at our disposal as believers. Every parable reveals some aspect of kingdom living.
A parable contains a truth concealed that only the Holy Spirit can reveal. The key to every parable is the illumination of the Holy Spirit in a receptive heart.
Jesus, speaking of John the Baptist as being Elijah said, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).
Then in the book of Revelation Jesus said to each of the churches, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…”
This hearing is a spiritual perception. Only those who have been born again with the Holy Spirit residing in them have the capacity to hear with understanding.
Spiritual truth is not accessible to the natural mind.
The apostle Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 2:14-16.
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
When we look at these parables, we will be noting several layers. The outer layer, the shell, is a simple story that anybody can understand. It may even have moral implications. But there are other layers that can only be penetrated by the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
The best preparation for studying the parables of Jesus is to be born again. If we are not born again Christians, we will never penetrate the purpose of any of these parables.
The main thing we want to emphasize during this series has to do with Dynamic Living under Kingdom Authority. This is the over arching theme of all of the parables. In these parables, we will discover the principles of kingdom living which will enable us to live the kind of life Jesus intended us to live.
Let me explain the phrase “Kingdom Authority.”
In chapter 11:1-4 we have what we call The Lord’s Prayer (page 50). Jesus says in this prayer, “Your kingdom come.”
The essence of this prayer is for God’s kingdom to come to earth. The receptacle of that kingdom at this point is the Christian. God’s kingdom is within us motivating us to live lives that honor God.
Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
And, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Other Scriptures could be brought to bear upon the subject. The essence of the truth is that as Christians, we now are living under Kingdom Authority. If we do not know what that authority is, our lives are not going to be in harmony with God’s purpose for us. Perhaps this explains many Christians living defeated lives of discouragement and despair.
As I understand the principles of kingdom living I begin to realize the power available to me to live a life pleasing onto the Lord.
Basically, two things are important to understand when it comes to parables, especially the parables of Jesus.
I. The Root: at the root of every parable is dynamic spiritual truth enabling us to live in kingdom authority.
Of course, the difficulty is to get to the root of the parable. Many look at parables as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. That may be a good place to start, but it is much more than that. In order to get to the root I need to have the spiritual equipment necessary to penetrate that depth.
The root affords several things.
The root nourishes the whole plant. If the plant is healthy and growing, it is because the roots are doing their job. If you want to destroy the plant, destroy the root.
The root of every parable nourishes our spiritual life. I think I can safely say that when you get to the root you begin to define what that life is all about. As my spiritual roots are nourished, they in fact nourish my entire life and bring me two points of spiritual health that reflect the character in nature of Christ.
Another element is that it guards against spiritual disease. This is a rather important aspect. As I nourish my spirit upon the deep things of God, it guards me against the spiritual diseases that are so prevalent in the spiritual world.
Many Christians are hampered by spiritual diseases and do not really know it. There is a weariness, a weakness, and a despair because they are spiritually diseased.
Every day of my life, I am exposed to spiritual viruses that threaten the health of my spiritual life. Getting to the root of some of these parables will help guard me against the spiritual viruses and diseases.
One thing I cannot emphasize too much is, the result of these parables is the character and nature of Christ reflected in our lives. We are the platform through which God reveals Himself to the world. It is through our lives that the Holy Spirit touches the people around us. If I am nourishing my inner life upon the deep truths of God’s Word, I become a worthy vessel of His truth into the world around me.
The great benefits of having a healthy spiritual life is I am brought into harmony with Jesus Christ. Isn’t that what fellowship is all about?
Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
The purpose of these parables is to bring me into full harmony and agreement with God’s kingdom resulting in daily fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
II. The Key: the key to dynamic kingdom living as Jesus intends is in the spiritual truth found in these parables. A key can unlock the door as well as lock a door.
As Jesus teaches these parables, He is establishing His intention for our life. This is what Jesus expects out of us. To truly understand these parables is to understand what God is expecting out of me each and every day. Jesus is setting the bar high, so high that only the Holy Spirit can enable me to accomplish it.
In going through these parables, we will understand that God will never settle for anything less than the truth expressed in these parables. He will never accept any excuses for us not living up to par. All that we need to be, all that he wants us to be has been fully provided for us. Therefore, there will be no exceptions. You will be held accountable for truth the same as anybody else. “God is no respect or persons…”
Ignorance of the law is no defense. We will be judged not according to what we have or have not done, but on the Word of God
There is an important aspect to this kingdom living.
God is creating in us a life to attract people, unsaved people, to Himself. You are the attraction that God wants to use to draw all people into the kingdom.
We need to understand that the Christian life is the life God created us to live. Many things hinder this, but nothing can overcome it when we are living in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit, which is the lifeblood of Kingdom Authority.
Conclusion…
A truth is not truly understood until it is fully put into practice. Truth is not a theory but rather a way of life.
In these parables, we will find truth enabling us to live a dynamic life under Kingdom authority.
For the Christian…
The parables offer a tremendous insight into understanding of what Jesus desires my life to be each day. As these parables unfold and as I adjust my life to the truth, I will find a new dynamic in my life.
My life, living under Kingdom Authority, is what Jesus uses to draw people to Himself.
For the non-Christian…
The parables will really not apply to your life until you yield yourself completely to the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Discovering what it means to be a Christian from Jesus’ point of view, should create within you a desire to be a Christian. Yield your heart and life to Jesus now!
